The crown on Canelo Alvarez’s head still fits.
“I’m the best fighter right now, that’s for sure,” the 33-year-old living legend said after his dominant unanimous decision victory over Jaime Munguía to defend both his undisputed super middleweight title and his reputation as a greatest living Mexican boxer.
In what was billed by some as a possible passing of the torch, Munguía, 27, was unable to use his explosive power to steal the thunder from Alvarez, whose grip on that torch was tighter than ever on Saturday evening at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
If anything, Alvarez showed that his increased in-ring IQ, coupled with his crisp counter-punches, made him even more dangerous than ever.
“I take my time, that’s why I have a lot of experience. … I take my time, I have 12 rounds to win a fight and I did it,” Alvarez said after the fight. “I feel good about it.”
After the imposing and powerful Munguía promised fireworks with his early aggression, Alvarez caught the youngster with a blinding left hook-right uppercut combo in the fourth round that floored Munguía. It was his first career reversal.
CANELO RECEIVES A HUGE REVERSE #CaneloMunguia pic.twitter.com/flzfgn4Giv
– Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) May 5, 2024
The knockdown came after Munguía opened the fight with early bursts arming his long punches and brash style. But Alvarez only needed a few rounds to find his precision and break the young boxer with the knockdown.
From there, Alvarez curbed every ounce of Munguía’s momentum with continued crushing countershots. Alvarez punched to the head with powerful punches one round, buckled Munguía with a 1-2 combo the next round, then changed Munguía’s entire stance with a vicious body hook a minute later.
Munguía never bombed or let his adoration for his country’s legend lull him into complacency, fighting his way to the knockout stages until the 12th round. But Canelo’s balance never wavered, even when the two stood facing each other in the center of the ring.
After the fight, Alvarez said he was happy to have given Munguía the blow. Munguía said he believed he would have beaten any other boxer with his performance.
The victory marks Alvarez’s fourth defense of the super middleweight title, and he improves his career record to 61-2-2. He became the first undisputed super middleweight champion in 2021 with his TKO of Caleb Plant.
Munguía’s record took its first dent with the defeat, falling to 43-1.
Saturday marked the 10th time Alvarez fought around Cinco De Mayo weekend and increased his record to 9-1 during his native country’s holiday.
Much of the drama that began on Saturday was not between the two boxers, with the young Munguía showing regular respect for the legend Alvarez, but rather between Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya. The build-up to the fight represented a boiling point in the two men’s simmering rivalry, as legend-turned-promoter De La Hoya shared a stage with his former protégé for the first time since Alvarez parted ways with Golden Boy Promotions in 2020.
Things got particularly heated during a press conference Wednesday, when De La Hoya said Golden Boy Promotions built Alvarez.
“The company you fought for for decades has only one name, and it’s mine. So put some respect on it,” De La Hoya barked, looking at Alvarez. “As for Jaime, he has always dared to be big, just like he will be on Saturday night.”
At that point, Alvarez responded to the Hall of Fame. Standing up and shouting in Spanish, Alvarez later said his fellow boxers should “contact your lawyers because (De La Hoya) is surely stealing from you.” It’s the only thing he comes to do in boxing. … If I hadn’t involved my lawyers, you would be robbing me.”
On Thursday, De La Hoya followed up on the allegation with a legal letter demanding that Alvarez retract his “defamatory” allegations, according to a letter obtained by ESPN.
But on Saturday night, the war of words was replaced by the exchange of blows, and Alvarez proved to the world why his name is still the biggest draw in the sport.
From the mariachi band’s rendition of the American national anthem before the main event to Munguía’s fearless march in the first round, Saturday night’s exchange seemed bigger and the crowd showered the boxers with their appreciation .
Before the main event, the Vegas crowd, which had arrived in time for the co-main event, was largely asleep. Mario Barrios defeated Fabian Maidana by unanimous decision in a fight that featured some notable moments and some notable punches after a third-round knockdown. Barrios defended his interim title in the process.
(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)